Welcome to the RetroMUD Universe!
This help file will provide the springboard for a list of other help 
files. It will also explain how to play this game, known as a MUD 
(M.ulti U.ser D.imension). Some refer to it as M.ulti U.ser D.ungeon, 
but since this virtual universe consists of no less than six worlds, 
we prefer not to use that term. NOTE: Any time you see something 
written in capital letters within parenthesis (LIKE THIS) you should 
type exactly what's in those parentheses to get help on that topic. 
It's sort of like having access to a huge, cross-referenced 
encyclopedia.

WHO AM I?  
You determined your name to get into the game already. Realize this
name represents you. If you pick a name based on a guild (for example, 
Magester), this is going to make everyone think you are a mage even if 
you choose not to be one. If you pick a name like Fool, it's going to 
be hard for people to take you seriously. We suggest you pick a name 
that is appropriate to a heroic fantasy world.  

Also, your race and profession (also known as a guild, HELP GUILDS) 
determine what abilities your character will have. You will also be 
able to pick a gender at the start (female, male, or neuter, depending 
on the race, HELP GENDER). Your description (HELP DESC) gives a visual 
portrayal for what others see of "you". We'll refer to your character 
as "you" from now on.

WHAT AM I?  
You are a Gifted One (HELP GIFTED ONE). You are an elite member of 
individuals who have special powers which enable them to communicate 
with each other at all times. You pick your race (HELP RACE) and your 
guild (HELP GUILDS), both of these enhancing your already formidable 
powers, and by far the most important choices of being a Gifted One.

WHERE THE HECK AM I?
The guild you select will put you on a particular planet. You are 
definitely going to want to learn your 'home' planet well, since you 
will need to return to it to train your powers. Learn your home city 
well too - planets have a lot of cities, and it's easy to get lost 
(HELP PLANETS).

WHY AM I HERE?
You're here to survive. There are many goals in this game, but most of 
it revolves around advancing in power. However, it should be noted
that advancing in power is not necessarily measured by numbers. Being 
powerful is a state of mind. Whatever your goal, the ultimate goal is 
to have fun - if you're not having fun, it's not worth playing, and 
after all, this IS a game (HELP UNIVERSE).

HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Basic knowledge of other MUDs will help but is not absolutely 
necessary. The various commands are similar to other MUDs (BATMUD and 
zombieMUD are two), and have similar roots (HELP GETTING STARTED).

WHY AM I LEVEL 10?
Everyone starts at level 10 here.

WHAT IS THIS GUIDE THING TALKING TO ME?
It's a helper for newbies of the Retroverse. See 'help guide' for more
information about what he can do.

IT SAYS IT'S TOO DARK/LIGHT FOR ME HERE?
It's just that the light levels in the room are too extreme for your 
race's vision. See 'help light' for more information.

HOW DO I SEE MY SKILLS/SPELLS?
See 'help show' for the answer.

HOW DO I GET EXPERIENCE?
Exploring new rooms gives you experience, and killing things at low 
levels is mostly suicidal. See 'help explore' for more information. If 
you just don't want to explore because you think it's boring, see 
'help guide' for the easy way to get to a newbie area.

WHERE DO I LEVEL?
See 'help advance' for the answer.

DO MY SKILLS/SPELLS GO UP AS I USE THEM?
Skill and Spell percentages do NOT go up with usage. You must train 
skills and study spells in your guild's training room to increase 
their percentages.

HOW DO I USE MY SKILLS?
See 'help use' for the answer.

HOW DO I CAST MY SPELLS?
If you are an Alchemist, Bard, Biomancer, Mage, Merchant, or 
Necromancer, see 'help cast' for the answer. If you are an Abjurer, 
Cultist, Druid, Fallen, Hand, Jomsviking, Monk, Paladin, Psionicist, 
or Templar, see 'help invoke' for the answer. If you are a Fighter, 
Ranger, or Sentinel, you don't have any spells to cast.

WHERE IS MY GUILD'S TRAINING/ADVANCEMENT ROOM?
Ask on your guild channel for that answer. If nobody is available to 
answer, ask on the mentor channel.

HOW DO I SPEAK ON MY GUILD CHANNEL?
To speak on your guild channel, type '<> say' followed by what 
you want to say. To see the current members of your guild logged on, 
type '<> who'.

Example:  ranger say hi
Example:  ranger who

WHAT ARE EVENTS?
Events are random occurances on the MUD that can affect everyone or 
certain types of characters. See the file 'help events list' for a 
list of most of the events that can happen.

WHAT ARE RPP/PE?
See 'help rpp' and 'help primal energy' for the answer.

WHAT ARE LEVEL QUESTS?
See 'help level quest' for information on level quests.

WHAT IS WAR?
War is an event where players fight each other for a prize for the 
last one standing. See 'help war' for more information.

For a lot of other useful information, see 'help getting started', as 
well as your guild's help file. To see this, type 'help <> 
guild'.

Example:  help ranger guild